Staying with unmanned aerial systems, California-based company Aerovironment has received another 2.1 million dollars from US defense agency DARPA to continue work on a small flapping-wing flying robot. In a first project, the company has successfully built a small flapping-wing robot capable of hovering and flying in all directions under remote control. The new project, expected to last until next summer, will focus on optimizing the aircraft for longer flight endurance, establishing the transition capability from hover to forward flight and back, and reducing its size, weight, and acoustic signature.